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    Avalanche

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    The London Free Press
    Slab formation avalanches are the most dangerous type, occurring when layers of varying density snow build up and become destabilized by weight. Wind can deposit heavy snow quickly, increasing the risk. An avalanche starts when the surface snow cracks and slides away from the fracture line. Victims are most likely to be buried in the runout zone where snow stops moving. Fresh heavy snowfall or buried weak layers like surface hoar or depth hoar can cause the top layer to loosen and slide down the mountain. Weather-produced avalanches are commonly caused by wind depositing snow or rapid warming melting buried layers. In 90% of accidents, the victim or their party triggers the avalanche.

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    Avalanche

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    The London Free Press
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    Slab formation avalanches are the most dangerous type, occurring when layers of varying density snow build up and become destabilized by weight. Wind can deposit heavy snow quickly, increasing the risk. An avalanche starts when the surface snow cracks and slides away from the fracture line. Victims are most likely to be buried in the runout zone where snow stops moving. Fresh heavy snowfall or buried weak layers like surface hoar or depth hoar can cause the top layer to loosen and slide down the mountain. Weather-produced avalanches are commonly caused by wind depositing snow or rapid warming melting buried layers. In 90% of accidents, the victim or their party triggers the avalanche.

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    Slab formation avalanches are the most dangerous type, occurring when layers of varying density snow build up and become destabilized by weight. Wind can deposit heavy snow quickly, increasing the risk. An avalanche starts when the surface snow cracks and slides away from the fracture line. Victims are most likely to be buried in the runout zone where snow stops moving. Fresh heavy snowfall or buried weak layers like surface hoar or depth hoar can cause the top layer to loosen and slide down the mountain. Weather-produced avalanches are commonly caused by wind depositing snow or rapid warming melting buried layers. In 90% of accidents, the victim or their party triggers the avalanche.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    808 views1 page

    Avalanche

    Uploaded by

    The London Free Press
    Slab formation avalanches are the most dangerous type, occurring when layers of varying density snow build up and become destabilized by weight. Wind can deposit heavy snow quickly, increasing the risk. An avalanche starts when the surface snow cracks and slides away from the fracture line. Victims are most likely to be buried in the runout zone where snow stops moving. Fresh heavy snowfall or buried weak layers like surface hoar or depth hoar can cause the top layer to loosen and slide down the mountain. Weather-produced avalanches are commonly caused by wind depositing snow or rapid warming melting buried layers. In 90% of accidents, the victim or their party triggers the avalanche.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Avalanche!

    A look at how avalanches occur


    SLAB FORMATION AVALANCHES
    These are the most dangerous type of avalanches. They occur when layers of snow of varying density build up and are destabilized by weight. Wind can easily deposit 60 cm of snow in two hours, producing a huge weight very fast.
    Starting zone: Surface snow cracks and slides away from fracture line. Avalanche track: Path that snow follows as it goes downhill. Runout zone: Snow and debris stops moving victims most likely to be buried here. Fresh snowfall: Can increase mass to critical level. Buried surface hoar: Icy crust formerly at surface. Depth hoar snow: Large, low-density crystals formed by rising water vapour. As the temperature rises, the bottom layer becomes very slippery. A slight weight can trigger the top layer of snow to loosen and slide down the mountain.

    IN MINUTES

    News and events visually


    Two people have recently died in B.C. avalanches, bringing the total deaths to three for this season.

    WEATHER-PRODUCED AVALANCHES Wind: Most common cause of weather-produced avalanches. Wind can deposit snow 10 times faster than snow falling from storms. Snowstorms: If the weight of new snow is added faster than the buried weak layer can adjust to its load, then it fractures and forms an avalanche. Rapid warming: Rare. Avalanches caused by rain or melting of surface snow occur because of a decrease in strength of the buried weak layer. The water dissolves the bonds between the snow grains.

    Duncan MacKenzie, 35, a long-time ski patroller, was killed in a snowslide east of Pemberton, B.C., on Thursday.

    Greg Sheardown. 45, was killed while heli-skiing near Revelstoke, B.C.

    B.C.

    1 2
    Heli-skiing

    Alta. Sask.

    In 90% of avalanche accidents, the victim or someone in the victims party triggers the avalanche. Sound cannot trigger and avalanche.
    Windward side Ridge line Leewar side Danger area

    FATALITIES
    30 25 20 15 10 5 0 70
    oor

    Number of avalanche fatalities, winters 1970-2010 Canada

    O -trail, downhill skiing accessed by a helicopter, not a ski lift. As of April, 2011, no one heli-skiing or cat-skiing died in avalanches in 2010-11, while two people died this way in the previous ski season. Twenty-six mechanized skiers, which includes heli- and cat-skiers, have been killed by avalanches since 1993-1994, with nine losing their lives in 1996-1997.

    AVALANCHE DANGER AREAS

    Wind direction

    Fatalities by type of activity, 2000-2010 10% 8%


    Mechanized skiing

    Other

    5%

    The safest areas to travel are along the windward slope of the ridge line. Or along the valley oor, away from the leeward slope.

    30 km/h

    Mountaineering
    75 80 85 90 95 00 05 10

    41%
    Backcountry skiing

    Speed at which an average-sized dry avalanche travels its nearly impossible for someone to outrun an avalanche.

    y Valle

    14

    Sources: Canadian Avalanche Centre; Utah Avalanche Centre; avalanche.org; Graphic News

    Average number of deaths that occur per year in Canada more than three-quarters of them occur in B.C.

    2011 deaths

    Out-of-bounds skiing

    7%

    29%

    Snowmobile

    2 Backcountry skiing, Alberta 3 Backcountry skiing, B.C. 6 Snowmobiling, B.C.

    SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1;/QMI AGENCY

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